REPORTS: TWO Pirates Stars Set To Leave!
Two Orlando Pirates stars are set to leave the club ahead of the upcoming season of 2022/23 DStv Premiership. Just like many teams, the Bucaneers are making some big changes as they rebuild the squad to compete for the domestic trophies after failing to qualify for CAF club competitions.
As per FarPost, Tshegofatsa Mabasa is set to go out on loan to Sekhukhune United while Linda Mntambo would also join him at Babina Noko but on a permanent deal. While the club that recently relocated to Limpopo is rumoured to be the next destination for Bonginkosi Makume who was in the books of the relegated Baroka FC.
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Pirates’ duo have been struggling somewhat to get the game time under coach Mandla Ncikazi and his former colleague Fadlu Davids. Mntambo still fell out of favour despite scoring three crucial goals in 15 games he played for Ezimnyama Ngenkani in a total of four competitions this past season.
While in the same campaign, Mabasa also tapped the net three times in a total of 16 games he played. Kwame Pepra was the main reason behind his lack of time with Bucs coaches putting their trust on the Ghanian striker shoulders. The other club that has reportedly shown interest in signing Mabasa on loan is the PSL’s newbies Richards Bay.
Other players who have left the Soweto giants are Thulani Hlatshwayo, Kwanda Mngonyama, Abel Mabaso, Justice Chabalala, Elson Sithole, Wayne Sandilands and Thabang Monare.
PIRATES SIGNINGS SO FAR
On Monday Pirates announced the signings of Azola Matrose, Eva Nga, Evidence Makgopa, and Miguel Timm who will be joining the club in July. Matrose, the rising star scored one goal in 14 games that he played for the Eastern Cape outfit this past season.
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Meanwhile, Makgopa has been a utility player for Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele in the recent seasons. In total, the striker played 71 games and scored 15 goals across all competitions for the Limpopo-based club.
Timm who joins Ezimnyama Ngenkani on a free transfer has been steady in the midfield of Marumo Gallants and will surely make the competition even stiffer. Initially, Timm was rumoured to have signed a pre-contract with Sekhukhune United in January as his deal with the Limpopo outfit would be running out at the end of June, however, there’s been a twist.
The Cameroonian striker Nga was a close friend of the net last season as he scored 10 goals in 29 matches in the league. He’s a big and aggressive forward and the Buccaneers will be hoping to have him as a solution in front of the posts. Pirates also added to their squad defenders Nkosinathi Sibisi and Tapelo Xoki from Golden Arrows and AmaZulu respectively.
